A company that operates veterans nursing homes in South Carolina and three other states is headed to downtown Anderson.

HMR Veterans Services Inc. is expected to move its corporate headquarters from a site off Liberty Highway near Interstate 85 to a building at 201 North Main Street by this summer. The company will be bringing about 50 employees as part of the $2.1 million relocation.

Anderson City Council members agreed Monday night to provide HMR with $100,000 in economic incentives over the next five years for moving its headquarters downtown.

"I think it is a win all the way around," Councilman Jeff Roberts said.

HMR iVeterans Services its moving its headquarters from its current home near Liberty Highway to a building at 201 N. Main St. in downtown Anderson.(Photo11: Kirk Brown/Independent Mail)

HMR was founded in 1998, the same year that the company started managing the 220-bed Richard M. Campbell Veterans Home between Anderson and Belton.

The company receives nearly $36.5 million annually from the state to operate the Campbell nursing home and Veterans' Victory House, a 220-bed nursing home in Walterboro. Both nursing homes belong to the state Department of Mental Health.

HMR also manages a total of eight other nursing homes for veterans in Alabama, Maryland and Texas, according to the company's website.

Two executives from the company, president and CEO William Biggs and executive vice president of operations Heyward Hilliard, met behind closed doors in December with Anderson City Council members. Hilliard said at the time that HMR was running out of room in its existing offices and the company was looking at sites in Anderson and Greenville.

HMR is the second company that has agreed to move into the four-story downtown building that is undergoing extensive renovations.

WestPoint Home LLC announced in August that about 60 employees in its hospitality and support service offices would move there from their previous location in downtown Clemson.

WestPoint Home makes bed and bath home fashions. The company evolved from mergers and acquisitions involving textile giants West Point Manufacturing Co., Pepperell Manufacturing Co. and J.P. Stevens & Co. Inc.

Anderson City Council voted in November to offer $200,000 in incentives over five years to WestPoint for its relocation.

“We are very excited to have recruited HMR to 201 North Main," developer John Wright Jr. said Tuesday. "This brings us to 100 percent occupancy, something that the building hasn’t seen in several years.

"I knew when we acquired this property in August that it could be something special, but even I didn’t think it would happen this fast, landing two corporate users and fully leasing the building in just six months" Wright said. "We’re confident that this project will serve as the catalyst for the explosion of growth that we’re about to experience in downtown Anderson and we’re thankful to have played a part in it.”

Council approves contract with new city manager David McCuen

Also Monday night, the City Council promoted Assistant City Manager David McCuen to replace City Manager Linda McConnell, who is retiring Friday after three years in the post and a total of 41 years as a city employee.

Under terms of his contract, which council members approved after meeting in executive session, McCuen will be paid $145,149 annually.

McCuen left his job as Abbeville's city manager in November 2015 to become assistant city manager in Anderson.

"I really appreciate this opportunity," McCuen told council members, adding that he is "looking forward to leading the city to its future."

In a statement issued by the city, Mayor Terence Roberts said, "We are fortunate to have David ready to step into this critical role of leadership for our city. He not only brings executive-level experience, but he has also gained deep knowledge of our operation and our community which will position him well to guide the city forward."

Anderson Mayor Terence Roberts presents a key to the city to Linda McConnell, who is retiring Friday after 41 years as a city employee, including the past three years as city manager.(Photo11: Kirk Brown/Independent Mail)

Earlier in the meeting, McConnell received a statuette, a quilt, a ceremonial key to the city and a standing ovation.

"It has been an awesome journey," McConnell said.

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM and email him at kirk.brown@independentmail.com